


My Baby Shot Me Down

by amidtheflowers



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Smut, and gets some booty in the end but that's not priority, and smutty, bucky has no idea what he's in for, darcy just wants to kick ass, games are had, this fic is ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 02:54:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9156631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amidtheflowers/pseuds/amidtheflowers
Summary: “Oh, it’son,” Darcy said quietly. It sounded like a promise. From the way Jane was staring at Bucky, though, it was more likely a threat.Bucky definitely never sawthiscoming.





	

**Author's Note:**

> In celebration of, well, all holiday celebratory things, this fic was written for the Hot Chocolate Collective from the brilliant mind of leftennant. Who also beta'd this, and is absolutely lovely for putting up with my nagging.
> 
> If you're looking for some serious, plotty Bucky and Darcy, this one isn't it. Just pure, lighthearted, competitive goodness.
> 
> Enjoy :) xx

**-:-**

******My Baby Shot Me Down**

**-:-**

Darcy stared unseeingly at the sky as clouds of snow swirled around her.

The sound of indignant shouting and triumphant cries faded to the back of her mind. She could only focus on the cold seeping into the thick winter coat, her gloves soaked through and her hair fanning about her in the snow like a dark halo. She lifted a hand and trailed lightly over her stomach, the glove catching on the snow collected there.

A pair of blue eyes peered over her. Darcy’s eyes flickered to the man hovering over her, tracing down to the cybernetic arm that was idly tossing a snowball. When she caught his gaze again, the corner of his mouth ticked up slowly and without a second’s hesitation, let the snowball slip from his metal fingers and plop down onto Darcy’s chest, exploding into a puff of white.

“I win,” Bucky said softly. The smug look turned into a full-blown grin when Steve jumped on Bucky’s back and let out a victorious roar. The others gathered around them then, Sam and Tony coming to either side and clapping Bucky hard.

Darcy waved away the hand offering to help her up. She crouched before stumbling to her feet, one hand automatically grabbing Jane’s shoulder to steady herself as the other whipped off the snow covering the front of her coat.

“Now _that_ was a showdown,” said Tony, impressed. He thumped Bucky hard on the shoulder. “So glad you’re on the team, tin man. And, you know, not frozen.”

“Yeah, finally broke their winning streak,” Sam smirked, eyes sliding over to where Darcy was still brushing snow off her clothes and shaking out her hair. “Ever since Lewis started working here we’ve been getting our asses kicked every year. Good to see some use bringing you along, Barnes.”

“Thanks,” said Bucky dryly, rolling his eyes. He eyed Darcy as she muttered something Jane, who suddenly looked up at him and shook her head slowly. Bucky frowned. Ignoring Jane’s silent appraisal, Bucky stepped forward to Darcy.

He cleared his throat. “That was fun,” he smiled. Darcy continued shaking out her hair, not meeting his eyes. “You’re really good at this.”

Darcy froze. She lifted her head and pinned him with a stare that sent a shiver down Bucky’s spine.

“Oh, it’s _on_ ,” Darcy said quietly. It sounded like a promise. From the way Jane was staring at Bucky, though, it was more likely a threat.

Darcy stuck out her hand. Bucky stared at it, lost.

“Um…”

“We shake,” Darcy said firmly. “It’s the rules.”

“The rules,” Bucky repeated.

“Yes. The rules. Or I take it that show back there was just what it was…a show?”

Bucky blinked rapidly. “That…that wasn’t a show—”

“So shake,” said Darcy, holding out her hand impatiently.

Just before their hands made contact Bucky could’ve sworn he saw Thor hide a smile in the corner of his eye, covering it with a light cough. He didn’t care, let alone focus on it, because Darcy’s hand no longer wore a glove and his hand felt every inch of soft skin entwined with his. Darcy’s mouth curled up in a sly smile as she shook his hand. Distantly he heard Tony shout his name, but Bucky’s eyes remained locked on Darcy’s.

“It’s official,” Darcy smirked, lifting her chin as Sam and Tony swore loudly behind them.

“Oh, Darcy…” Jane said weakly, looking between Darcy and Bucky before sighing and walking towards Thor, who was silently watching the exchange with a deepening frown.

Darcy’s triumphant look faltered slightly when Bucky’s grip on her hand tightened and he used it to pull her closer. He heard her take a quick inhale when he murmured, “Are your hands always this cold?”

Darcy lifted a brow. “We’ve been knee-deep in snow for two hours, Barnes.”

Bucky lifted his cybernetic hand and folded both her hands into his. Darcy swallowed and glanced down at their entwined fingers.

“That’s warm.” The tips of her fingers lightly scraped the warm, shifting plates of his palm.

“I’m warm everywhere, doll, arm included.”

Darcy bit down on her lip. Bucky smiled slowly.

The moment was broken when Tony yanked Bucky’s hands out of Darcy’s. “Barnes, _why_?” Tony shook Bucky’s shoulders desperately. “We were winning! It was over! Now you’ve unleashed—” Tony gave Darcy a disgusted look when she smiled sweetly at him, “— _this_.”

“…This?”

Tony narrowed his eyes before glancing at Darcy. “All damages come out of your paycheck.”

“I don’t think so, Tony,” said Darcy, now inspecting her nails.

Tony stared at her a beat then spun around and stalked off, grumbling under his breath. Darcy grinned when Tony tossed over his shoulder, “Just _try_ not breaking furniture this time? Pepper gave me hell when she found the pool table cracked down the middle.”

“That was Steve’s fault and you know it!” Darcy shouted back. Her eyes slid back to Bucky and a slow, confident smile spread on red-painted lips.

“I’ll see you tonight, Barnes.”

Bucky’s heart leapt in his chest as he watched Darcy walk away. “That a date?” he called after her.

Darcy turned and walked backwards a few steps, sweet smile firmly in place. “See you at seven.”

Bucky ducked his head and shoved his hands in his coat, fighting the smile that threatened to turn his face into a damn Christmas card. Steve and Sam sauntered over with matching disappointed frowns.

“You just had to shake on it.” Sam sighed, rubbing two fingers along his temple.

It took Bucky a second to pull away from his thoughts. Darcy’s ruby red smile kept flashing in his mind and—god, did it leave him winded. Bucky shook his head. “She said it was the rules. I was just trying to be nice.”

“Did you bother asking _which_ rules she was talking about?” Steve crossed his arms and bore down on Bucky with a familiar, disapproving frown, one he wore often whenever trying to instill some fear in Pietro or the Parker kid.

“Does it matter?”

Sam blinked. “You really have no idea.” A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth, and he nodded at Steve. “Let’s leave him to figure it out, Steve.”

“Figure _what_ out?” Bucky was starting to get annoyed. This was exactly what he wanted, _exactly_ where he wanted to be in terms of Darcy. “You two were the ones who said to join you in this,” he gestured at the demolished snow forts around them, “snow _thing_. Said it’d get me closer to Darcy.” He lowered his voice, glancing down at his boots. “You know I’m sweet on her.”

“We do,” said Sam in a weary kind of tone with an accompanying look that felt a lot like pitying. “And if you play your cards right, this’ll work out just fine. Enjoy the date, Barnes.”

They left, leaving Bucky stranded in a myriad of thoughts.

Was he supposed to be worried? She’d asked him on a date. _Tonight_. But the way Sam was ribbing him, it felt tainted. Like he shouldn’t…enjoy it?

Bucky played back the last ten minutes. The pretty smile when Bucky held her hands. The tongue-in-cheek flirting—the flirting that went both ways.

No, there was no way he misinterpreted anything. Bucky’s brain was still a little…a work in progress…but he wasn’t blind. Darcy and Bucky had been building up to this for weeks.

Bucky jumped when Thor came behind him and clapped him on the shoulder. “That was invigorating, don’t you think?”

Bucky sighed, chasing away the shadows of doubt rising in his mind. “You didn’t even participate.”

“My power is beyond weaponry or gadgets. It would not have been a fair game,” said Thor sagely. “I often play mediator in most of my interactions on Asgard anyway; this was good practice.” They started walking back to the compound, and Bucky shook out his boots once they crossed into the entrance. “I must say, James, you made a bold move today. You chose Sudden Death. I thought your intention was to court Darcy.”

Bucky went still, glancing up at Thor warily. “I…it is.”

Thor nodded, then pressed a hand warmly on Bucky’s shoulder. “Good luck in your endeavor. You are braver than I, and that is saying something.”

Bucky stared after Thor when he left.

Just what the hell had Bucky done out there?

**-:-**

Darcy was prepared.

Very prepared.

She uncapped the tube of deep red lipstick and slid it over her lips, rubbing them together when she was done.

Checked her nails. Manicured and ready to cut steel.

Eyebrows were _on_. Contacts were _in_. Darcy was ready to kick some motherfucking _ass_.

And if that ass was the type that Darcy’s wandering mind sometimes wanted to bite, well. Can’t have it all.

Jane was mumbling under her breath when she ambled into Darcy’s room, her nose buried in a haphazardly stapled packet of notes. Her eyes flickered up to Darcy where she stood in front of the vanity and stopped dead.

Jane’s face fell. “Oh, Darcy. _Don’t_.”

“What?”

“ _Please_ don’t?”

“Don’t what?” Darcy asked innocently.

“You’re going to do the thing.”

“I’m not doing anything, Jane.”

“You are. You’re going to do the thing and you’re going to scare off Bucky and I really like him, Darcy. He’s the only person in the lab who’s not a complete dodo and gets the physics. He likes hearing me rant, Darcy! He asks questions!”

“He’ll still be there in the lab, Jane,” Darcy rolled her eyes as she opened a drawer and started sifting through it.

“No, he won’t. You’ll scare him and he’ll never come back and I’ll have no one to talk to in the lab anymore. Pete’s getting boring.” She could practically hear the pout in Jane’s voice.

“Walls don’t get old, Jane,” Darcy scoffed, digging deeper into the drawer and scrunching up her face. “I swear they were in here…”

“Excuse me, but walls _do_ get old and Pete is a very tired wall and I don’t want to talk at him anymore.”

“You can talk to me!”

“You don’t get what I’m saying,” Jane flapped her hand distractedly as she flipped to the next page.

“Since when do people ever get what you’re saying?”

“Since Bucky started showing up in the lab. He brings coffee, Darcy. _Coffee_. The good kind.”

“I know he does,” a small, private smile tugged at Darcy’s lips. The first time he’d done it, walking in with two cups of steaming, _quality_ coffee, slow-grounded and poured over, Darcy nearly scared him off anyway when she offered him her firstborn. The times after that, when he’d walk in and set coffee on the table before taking a seat next to her with a bright smile that crinkled his eyes, Darcy was figuring out the different ways she could talk Bucky out of his shirt.

For science, of course.

“A-ha!” Darcy pulled out a small, rectangular box and shook it, smiling in satisfaction when something clacked dully inside of it. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Darcy glanced at Jane. She was watching Darcy with a miserable little frown, and Darcy’s expression softened. “ _Jane_. I have many plans for this boy. I don’t intend to send him running for the hills today. Not _today_ ,” Darcy laughed. “That would too easy. It’ll be slow. Gradual. Until he sees he challenged the wrong person.”

“It was just a snowball fight,” Jane muttered.

“It was wrong and you know it,” Darcy replied shortly. Exhaling quietly, Darcy stepped away from the vanity and beamed at her reflection. Her hands fiddled with the small box, and Darcy whispered, “ _Bangarang_ , asshole.”

**-:-**

Bucky was the luckiest man alive.

Steve, Sam, they had no idea what the hell they were talking about. This was perfect. No—this was sublime. Transcendent. _Beautiful_.

He said as much to her. Something darkened in Bucky’s gaze when a pretty blush stole over Darcy’s cheeks, and she tucked back a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

“I thought we could start with something simple,” Darcy offered, and he finally noticed the thing she’d been fiddling in her hands the last few minutes.

“Playing cards?” Bucky recognized the style of print on the small cardboard box. He gave a little half-smile, his heart flooding with warmth at the simple gesture. “Haven’t—haven’t gotten to play in years. Forgot all about it, to be honest.” Bucky met Darcy’s eyes sincerely. “ _Thank_ you.”

A strange look crossed over her face, but she covered it with a smile. “You’re welcome, Barnes.”

“Bucky,” he said quickly, his hand automatically coming up to gently caress her elbow. “Call me Bucky.”

“Well, Bucky,” Darcy grinned slowly, and shook the deck of cards. “Let’s see how good your hand is.”

It turned out, his hand was pretty good.

Darcy looked decidedly unhappy about it.

“Five out of six,” Darcy pleaded, and Bucky laughed.

“Anything you want, doll,” Bucky replied with a teasing smile, and he meant every word. He wouldn’t trade this for anything.

Sam and Steve were _idiots_.

Darcy poured him another glass of champagne as he shuffled the cards. Alcohol couldn’t do much for him but it still tasted good and it was warming him up real nice. Or maybe it was because Darcy was the one pouring it, and whenever she did she’d lean in a little and he’d get a perfect view of—

Bucky shook away the thought. No, not yet. It wasn’t right. But from the way the evening was going, and the high flush on Darcy’s cheeks, that time was a definite possibility in the distant future.

“What made you pick cards?” Bucky asked as he peered at his deck.

Darcy shrugged lightly. “Start small. Build it up. Next will be something food-related.”

Bucky’s heart nearly exploded right there at the overpriced communal dining table. She already planned their second date?

Darcy noticed the long silence and glanced up at Bucky. “Is that okay? We could do a board game or something instead, skip over food and go up the list.”

“No-no it’s fine,” Bucky said quickly, swallowing hard. “Food sounds perfect. When were you thinking—?”

“Tomorrow, around lunchtime?” Darcy smiled a little. “We can do it during the lunch break from lab. Good?”

Bucky nodded eagerly. “That’s perfect, Darcy. I can’t wait.”

Darcy looked at him oddly again, but smiled anyway. Bucky stared at it longer than was probably decent, and he cleared his throat and looked back down at his set of cards before she could notice.

Darcy and Bucky scored evenly in the end, leaving them in a tie. Bucky tried not to panic too much when Darcy went notably quieter, as if lost in thought as she gathered the cards and tucked them inside the box once more.

“I had a lot of fun,” Bucky smiled down at her as they walked out of the common room and out into the hallway. They walked side-by-side, arms brushing, the whisper of skin against skin sending a thrill of electricity down his spine.

Darcy smiled up at him. “I did too.” She blinked, as if surprised by it. “Yeah, I definitely did.”

They stopped at her door. Bucky looked at her, around her, shifting unsurely on his feet. Was it still okay to give a kiss goodnight on the cheek? A hug? Bucky wished he’d thought about this earlier rather than last minute and standing awkwardly in front of her door like some kind of cactus—

Fortunately for him, Darcy was not nearly as conflicted. “Night,” Darcy said. She leaned in and held out her arms, giving him an in or an out if he chose not to.

Bucky heartily chose the former.

Their arms slide around each other in a gentle little hug, chaste and over much too quickly. Bucky’s mind finally kicked in, saturated with the feel of her body against his and memories of their evening, and he ran his fingers lightly through her hair before lowering his head and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

“See you in the morning, Darcy,” said Bucky quietly.

**-:-**

Jane was sitting on the couch, exactly where Darcy had left her four hours ago. She pressed her back against the door as it closed behind her, chewing her lower lip in thought.

Jane sighed. “Well? Do I still have a pupil in the morning?”

“Yeah,” said Darcy, dazed. She stared at the deck of cards in her hand.

“Who won?”

“It was a tie.”

Jane hiked up a brow. “I hope he lasts at least until Day Four.”

**-:-**

Sam and Steve were watching a movie when Bucky came in. He’d just walked into a scene where a woman clad in a golden metal bikini was strangling the world’s ugliest worm to death.

“This _Star Wars_?” Bucky asked.

Sam and Steve startled in unison. “Who won?” Steve demanded.

Bucky frowned, glancing between Steve and Sam warily. “Uh, no one…it was a tie.”

Sam’s eyebrows nearly reached his hairline. “A tie? Darcy never ties!”

“Darcy never _loses_ ,” Steve corrected. “She tied once with Pepper.”

“What? Where was I during this?”

“Remember that thing when you met Scott the first time?”

“Oh…right. Mission.”

Steve turned back to Bucky. “When’s the next one?”

“Tomorrow…” Bucky said suspiciously.

“Damn,” Steve muttered. “You think she’ll up the ante when it’s the very next day?”

Sam shook his head. “Nah, Darcy’s smart. Practical. She’ll butter him up a bit first.”

“You two need help,” Bucky gave a disgusted look and walked to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him and wondering why his friends were more interested about some damn game than the actual _date_ he’d just had with Darcy.

**-:-**

“Tea?” Bucky repeated.

“Tea,” Darcy answered firmly. She spread her arms out to the full kitchen before them. “Whatever bag, whatever additions—sugar, honey, anything.”

“…And then we drink the tea?”

Darcy laughed and shook her head. “And then we find a distracted scientist and put our tea to the test.”

To be honest, Bucky didn’t _really_ understand how this was a date, but he had fun anyway. He liked the casual comfort of just having little moments with her, moments that were Bucky’s and Darcy’s and nobody else’s. And this surely felt like a moment he’d be saving for himself to look back at fondly, especially when Bucky helped reach for something high on the shelf for Darcy and caught her eyeing his stomach where the shirt had ridden up.

Teas made, Darcy dragged him to a few floors up and ushered him inside Bruce Banner’s lab. The scientist greeted them kindly before turning back to the chalkboard behind him.

“How’s it going, doc?” Darcy reached over and switched out Bruce’s mug of tea with the one Darcy had prepared.

“Just something…found a way that might keep telomeres from shortening, I think this formula might…no, adenine will…the…”

Bucky watched the harried scientist with amusement as he mumbled incoherently. Without looking, Bruce reached for the mug and took a sip. Darcy leaned forward, holding her breath.

Bruce set the mug back down and turned to the chalkboard again. Darcy beamed at him with a triumphant little smirk. No outward reaction to the difference in the teas. A score for Darcy.

Bucky rolled his eyes and reached over for the imposter mug, replacing it with the one Bucky had prepared. They watched in rapt silence as Bruce reached for the mug and took a long sip.

Bruce licked his lips. “Mm,” he smiled a little, then set the mug down again and resumed his work.

Bucky glanced at Darcy, who was staring holes through Bruce’s back with a look of utter betrayal. “That’s good, I’m guessing?”

**-:-**

On their fourth date, Bucky walked hand-in-hand with Darcy (Bucky still couldn’t stop glancing down at their hands where Darcy had grabbed him to yank him away from a puddle of indiscriminate guck when passing Tony’s laboratory. She never let go. Bucky linked their fingers together.) and held the door to the communal living room open for her. His jaw dropped when he saw half their friends lounging in various parts of the room, as if waiting.

“Looks like there’s an audience today,” Darcy stifled a laugh, and dropped his hand to reach for file sitting on the coffee table. Bucky felt the loss of her hand as disappointing as the number of people about to share in their date.

“Could head to your place, or…somewhere else…”  Bucky mumbled.

Darcy glanced at him questioningly. “Why? There’s plenty of room here.”

Bucky squashed an unhappy sigh.

“I know, but…” he glanced around, his frown deepening when Steve waved jauntily at him.

Darcy’s expression softened and she ran her hand soothingly down his arm. “Don’t worry, Bucky, I’ll make sure they don’t distract you. Fair’s fair, after all.” She lifted the file and shook it. From where the folder parted, Bucky could see a stack of crossword puzzles. “Ready?”

**-:-**

Tony threw himself down next to Darcy in the lab, startling her.

“Word around town is you still haven’t beaten Barnes.”

Darcy grunted. “I’ll get there.”

“You threw down the gauntlet and challenged him. The  _Challenge_ , Darcy.”

“I know.”

“And this is what, day eight? Nine? How is he still standing, Lewis?”

“I don’t _know!_ ” Darcy threw her pen down on the notebook and folded her arms over herself. “He just plays along—all charming and—skilled—with his stupid mouth and his stupid muscles and his look of shock every time he wins— _every. Time._ I thought he was mocking me at first but he’s serious. Every time he wins it’s like he never thought it could’ve happened.”

“It’s an old law of grace my father never bestowed in me. He’s still got the,” Tony gestured nonsensically, “you know. Sensibilities.”

“Whatever,” Darcy muttered darkly. “I’m getting there. We’re still evenly matched for the most part. By the end of the month I’ll reign supreme, as always.”

“That’s my girl. Knock him dead. Or don’t, we still need him and stuff. Knock him gently, still breathing.”

**-:-**

“Hey, let’s do a movie tonight.”

Darcy looked up from her phone. “A movie?”

Bucky nodded encouragingly. “Yeah, thought it’d be cool to visit a cinema in the city. See what’s changed, what folks are watchin’ these days.”

“It’s a bit unconventional, but…” Darcy bit her lip. This would throw a serious wrench in their tournament schedule.

“We don’t have to,” Bucky backtracked quickly, running his thumb along the metal plates of his fingertips nervously. “I don’t mind at all the things we already do. ‘S been a long time I could just spend time with a da—a gi—with someone I like, no fuss. I like simple.” Bucky smiled at her and it was filled with so much light Darcy had to steady herself.

Instead, Darcy smiled back at Bucky and took his hand. “Movie sounds awesome, Bucky.”

Bucky absolutely _beamed_.

**-:-**

It was…good.

The movie was too.

She found herself liking all the little things she’d picked up on before she set the Challenge. The way Bucky leaned to whisper something in her ear, usually a tiny little joke that had Darcy biting her lip from laughing out loud, and Bucky would get an adorably smug look that he could get that reaction out of her.

The way his hand brushed hers, thumb rolling over her knuckles in a gentle circuit.

The way he listened to her raptly, hanging on every word like it was spun with silver and gold. The crinkles his eyes would get when he laughed—and god, did she love it when he laughed, holding her just that much tighter against him where his arm was slung around her waist.

He walked her to her door every time and kissed her on the cheek, and the nature of their days evolved, splitting into two.

There were days, and then there were Bucky’s days.

The regular days were what was scheduled next on the List of Ways Darcy Is Better Than Everyone (named accurately by Jane). Bucky’s days were breaks from the schedule, from the Challenge. He’d take her out or they’d stay in at his suite, forgetting for a while her competitive game and the need to validate herself back on top after the Incident.

It was easier, separating it that way. Easier, but not entirely true, because even on her days it was never like when she’d challenged Steve or Clint or Tony, because Darcy wanted to win but Darcy also wanted Bucky to be there, and talk to him, and laugh with him, and she liked this. She liked it very much.

**-:-**

They were walking from their night out, dinner and a stroll through a small park. Something was different now, warmer—Bucky felt it, and Darcy felt it through her entire being. She held his hand tightly as they stopped in front of her door.

When he finally kissed her, it was all Darcy could do to hold on.

His lips moved gently over hers, tasting, soft and caressing and leaving her breathless as she clung to him. Darcy arched her back and slid her arms tightly around Bucky’s neck, pressing their bodies flat against each other. Bucky groaned softly and walked forward until her back hit the door.

The kiss grew heated, hands and lips and wet, open-mouthed kisses that had Darcy gasping. She lifted her knee to wrap her leg around his hip, and she shivered when metal fingers gripped her bare thigh where the dress had slid up and pulled her tighter against his hips, grinding into her until she let out a choked whimper.

Darcy tore her mouth from his, panting, “In. Get in.”

Bucky’s eyes went wide until he saw her fumble for the doorknob and throw it open.

“Are you su—”

Darcy’s tongue down his throat stopped that line of questioning altogether.

Jane—bless her soul—was out for the night, which was _excellent_ for Darcy. And Bucky too, with the way his hand was reaching under her dress and stroking up her leg until he reached her inner thigh.

They made it to the bedroom, heels kicked off and pants thrown aside and ugly laughter from Darcy when Bucky nearly fell off the mattress trying to take off his socks.

Bucky pushed inside her and Darcy arched her back, curling her legs up and linking her ankles behind his back.

“Not to make assumptions,” Bucky panted as Darcy moaned at the deep-seated thrusts. “But... _Christ_ , yes, Darce…I can call you my girlfriend now, right? Will you be my girlfriend Darcy? Will you?”

“Are you—really—really asking this _now?_ ” Darcy’s mouth fell open as Bucky reached behind her knee and pushed her leg back to rest over his shoulder, changing the angle of his thrust and making Darcy’s breath hitch.

“Please?”

“Yes. Bucky, yes—I’m your—I’m your—we’re— _fuck!_ ” Bucky’s thumb reached between them to flick insistently over her clit and his teeth gently tugged on a stiffened peak and Darcy’s body seized, clinging desperately to his back and nails digging into his skin. Bucky let out a hoarse moan and slammed his hips into hers.

Utterly spent and bones feeling like jelly, Darcy gathered enough strength to pull back Bucky’s hair from where he was panting against her breast. “We’re dating, you dork. Let’s do that again.”

**-:-**

The game days got a lot more interesting after that. A _lot_.

Darcy closed one eye, sticking out her tongue as she bent over the pool table and aligned her cue stick with the ball. From behind she heard Bucky say, “You sure that’s the angle you wanna work at, Darce?”

Darcy paused, turning her head to catch the innocently curious look he was giving her. Innocent. _Right_.

“I thought it was fine, but if you want to show me a better position…”

Darcy bit her lip, smiling when she felt him lean in from behind, enveloping her in warmth and covering her body with his. “I was thinking something more like…” Bucky murmured against her ear, sending a shiver through her as one of his hands slid down her arm to meet hers where it was stretched holding the cue stick. Fingers curling together, Bucky’s other hand wrapped around her middle and gently pulled her back, nestling her ass into his hips.

“This,” Bucky finished, and Darcy’s eyes shuttered as she slowly grinded against him, feeling his hardness and sending a pool of desire through her. She bit back a moan when he started kissing the side of her neck, lightly scraping the tender flesh with his teeth and soothing it with lips and tongue.

“Like this?” Darcy asked, her voice wavering only a little as she pushed back into Bucky and got the friction right where she needed, rubbing against her both wonderfully and not nearly as much as she wanted.

“Not quite, doll. Let’s try again.” He pushed a thigh between her legs and widened her stance before pushing his hips hard into her, tearing a gasp from her as her back arched and the cue stick went clattering onto the table, slipping from her fingers. She pushed back against him wantonly, eagerly, the sound of his hoarse groan filling her veins with fire.

Darcy spun around and yanked Bucky by the collar kissed him hard. Darcy whined in frustration when he pulled away just seconds later, only to yelp when he pushed her back and lifted her onto the pool table. Her dismay turned right upside down. “Oh, fuck _yes,_ ” Darcy leaned back on her elbows as Bucky flipped up her skirt and ripped down her panties, pushing her legs wide on top of the table and burying his head between her thighs.

The pool balls went scattering when Darcy’s hands grappled on the felt tabletop, hips moving against his mouth where it licked into her and over her until she almost couldn’t stand it, breaths coming out quickly. She pushed at Bucky’s shoulders, “I want to feel you, I want you inside, Bucky—”

Bucky pulled away and dragged her forward by the thighs, smiling as Darcy scrambled off the table and let Bucky bend her over, before sliding inside and fucking her senseless.

(She scored the game that day a solid tie.)

**-:-**

Tony stared down Darcy. She stared right back.

“I remember asking—frankly very politely—to please not break the pool table?” Tony gestured behind him. “This is a low blow, Lewis.”

Darcy glanced at the pool table, biting back a smile when she saw the demolished edge where Bucky’s cybernetic hand had crushed the wood ( _Bucky groaned loudly against Darcy’s back as his hand went from her hip to the table, the wood splintering in his grip as he came hard inside her_ ) and torn felt just above it ( _“Oh—oh!” Darcy’s vision went black and she felt the felt beneath her nails tear at the seams as her release rocked through her, screaming only a_ little _as Bucky fucked her through it_ ), and looked back at Tony.

“I mean, you really shouldn’t keep anything wooden in the compound, Tony. You brought this on yourself.”

**-:-**

Bucky’s foot was slowly, tantalizingly sliding its way up Darcy’s calf when Sam and Steve entered the communal living room.

“Hey now,” Sam pointed below the table. “That’s fraternizing with the opponent.”

“I don’t think my girl’s gorgeous legs will change the way I move my bishop,” Bucky said dryly as he did just that, knocking one of Darcy’s knights off the board. Bucky mirrored Darcy’s sad pout when she looked up at him.

“No, but…” Sam looked to Steve uncertainly. “This changes the rules. This isn’t a real challenge if you’re… _with_ the other guy.”

“Relax, it’s just chess,” Bucky muttered irritably.

“Nah, Sam’s got a point,” Steve shook his head. “Doesn’t feel valid. And you two’ve been circling around each other since before the challenge even started. Today’s the 31st, right?”

“The last day,” Sam agreed.

“Of _what_?” Bucky said impatiently.

“The Challenge,” Darcy repeated. Bucky’s eyes snapped to hers. “The one we’ve done every single day this month?”

Bucky blinked.

“Those were dates.”

Darcy raised an eyebrow. “Not at first. We shook on it, remember? After you faked out in the snowball fight.”

“Shook—hold on a minute there,” Bucky furrowed his brows, leaning back against the chair. “When the hell did I fake out?”

Darcy stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack, dollface. The hell are you going on about?”

Darcy was incredulous. “You…wow. Okay. The team snowball fight. You were new, so you didn’t take a side. We…god, do I have to spell this out for you?” Darcy glanced away from him, her toe starting to tap impatiently on the floor. “You started helping my team out. We’d been flirting for a few weeks. Then at the last draw you clocked me. Switched teams—sudden death. Totally fucking cheating, by the way. And we…when you took out Steve we basically won, so you turned to me and we were going to…”

Darcy swallowed, her eyes flickering to and away from his lips so quickly Bucky almost missed it, but his heart was already sinking with what he knew she was going to say and, god, had he really been such an _idiot?_ “And then you got me, I fell down, and you got me again. Whatever.”

“Whatever,” Bucky echoed. Slowly, he shook his head. “Is that what this challenge is? To…challenge me for that?”

“You knew,” Darcy said defensively. “Steve, tell him.”

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “He knew, but…I don’t think he understood the shake was meant for the The Challenge. Or that you’re undefeated.”

“Darce, I didn’t—you gotta know I didn’t mean anything by it,” Bucky reached over the chessboard to clasp Darcy’s hand firmly. “You can ask Stevie, the whole time I was thinking ways to get you on a date. It’s the whole reason I agreed to go out in the snow that day, I knew you’d be playing.”

“I know, Bucky. I’m not even angry about that now, haven’t been for a long time.” Darcy shrugged, letting her nonchalance speak for her.

“So, what’s this about the 31st date? What’s the score between you and me?” Bucky asked.

Darcy bit her lip, glancing down at the chessboard. “We’re still a tie. Whoever wins tonight wins the challenge.”

Bucky stared at her for a long moment before a glint settled in his eye. “Well, then. I have to agree with the fellas. This game ain’t all that valid now that we’re a couple.”

Darcy’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Mm. This calls for a different _final_ challenge, don’t you think? More fitting for a couple going steady.”

Darcy narrowed her eyes. “Which is…?”

A slow smile spread on Bucky’s lips. “How many times I can get you to scream tonight.”

“Whoa!” Sam reeled back and Steve covered his ears, chanting nonsense syllables loudly. Darcy ignored them, her eyes fixed on Bucky.

“Well, alright then. We have,” Darcy checked the time on her phone, “six hours until midnight.”

Bucky’s eyes darkened as Darcy smiled, running her tongue over her lower teeth.

The chess pieces clattered to the floor as Bucky chased Darcy out of the room.

 


End file.
